This invention relates to the use of ultrasound transducers in conjunction with a needle, biopsy instrument, catheter, etc., in medical procedures. More particularly, it relates to the use of ultrasound transducers and scanners as an aid to physicians, e.g., when obstetricians perform amniocentesis procedures in a sterile clinical atmosphere.
Recently, intense concern has grown among medical and public health professionals relating to the spread of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome, commonly known as AIDS. Fervent debates rage on among top medical researchers about how the AIDS virus can be transmitted, but most scholars agree that one way is through blood to blood exchanges. One such exchange can occur when an unaffected person is the recipient of blood from a donor having AIDS, such as through a transfusion. However, exchange of such a high volume of blood is not necessary for transmission of AIDS to occur. In fact, it is believed that it can be transmitted when a needle which has been exposed to the virus is used by an unaffected person. For this reason, it is commonly believed that drug users who share needles for drug injections are in a high-AIDS-risk category. Similarly, pregnant women undergoing amniocentesis with the aid of ultrasound transducers and their associated needle guides, both of which are used numerously on different women, are at an elevated risk because of the needle's increased exposure to previously used transducers and needle guides.
During some surgical procedures, the health professional may wish to insert two or more successive needles in the patient with each needle having a different diameter or gauge. Often, it is necessary to immediately insert a needle after the removal of another. In such cases, it is desirable to have a needle guide which will accommodate numerous needle sizes.
Consequently, a need exists for an improved needle guide which is capable of rapidly guiding a series of different sized needles in a relatively rapid sequence.